Australian Politics
Panic attacks as kids taught not to use words ‘boy’ or ‘girl’
Gender language warriors are making kids frightened to say “boy” or “girl”, with one Queensland doctor warning we risk a generation scared “to admit they are heterosexual”.
The warning from Logan doctor Thomas Lyons comes as mums of two transgender children who say kids need support, not gender neutral language.
Midwives are also battling to head off the push to drop “breastfeeding” for “chestfeeding” and “mother’s milk” for human milk.
“If the push to eliminate gender from society continues we are likely to see a wave of suicidal adolescents who are too anxious to admit they are heterosexual and happy in the bodies they were born into,” GP Dr Thomas Lyons said.
The medic is angry that a non-binary blanket is being thrown over the wider community when the majority of the population has no problem with the words ‘boy”, “girl”, “father” or “mother”.
“Who are these fascists who assert authority over the lives, culture and values of the majority, This coup will fail,” the doctor said.
Dr Lyons admits that the drive to outlaw gendered language became a problem for him after an experience where he had six kids visit his surgery. When he was testing their sight with a chart showing the drawings of animals and people, four of the kids refused to say the words ‘boy” or “girl” and all six were stressed and panicky.
“These children, without the knowledge or permission of the principal and parents, had been taught by teachers that the words ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ had some kind of bad magic and to utter them would somehow harm people. The children knew what they could see and hear but could not reconcile themselves with the notion that this was wrong to see boys and girls as different. Watching a six-year-old have a panic attack over use of gender identifying language is disturbing,” he said.
Adding to the debate, two Queensland mothers who have lived the reality of raising transgender children are not fans of gender-neutral parenting.
“Most children are happy in who they are and to raise them in a world without the word ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ and letting them decide for themselves is putting undue pressure on young minds,” Meagan Hayes, mother of 16-year-old transgender daughter Emma, said.
“I respect those who make this choice but it is my experience that children are what they are and nothing will change that,” the Gympie mum told The Sunday Mail.
“My daughter tried to cut off her own penis at the age of four. At that very young age she instinctively knew she was a girl and told everyone that she was a girl.
“My parenting style or any restricted use of language would not change that in any way.”
Michelle Suters from Rothwell, north of Brisbane, is the mother of four children and two step-children. Her son Nate, 17, is transgender.
“My children were all raised the same. They could play with whatever toys they wanted whether trucks or dolls. Nate wasn’t interested in dolls, he wanted to be a superhero and loved worm farms. He wanted his hair short from when he was 10. We just accepted him as he was no questions asked,” Ms Suters said.
“I am not a fan of gender-neutral parenting. Most children are happy to be either a boy or a girl. I don’t think they need to be made frightened of being one of the other. Nature has a way or making things happen as they should. All any parent can do is support and love their child for what they are or what they want to be,” she said.
Both mothers agree that gender words should not be erased but children should be taught that their opportunities are not hindered by gender and it’s OK to buck stereotypes.
But on the flip side Nate Musiello himself told The Sunday Mail that he believes that in the future people will adapt to a world without gender. “I think my generation see things a bit differently and the world is ready for the shift. The use of the words ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ were hurtful to me as I grew up. I will raise my own children gender neutral and I think small things like removing the Mr from the toy Potato Head is a good thing. Why does a potato have to be a man?” Nate said.
Social commentator David Chalke said the bid to wipe out the words “girl” or “boy” in society is ludicrous. “Parents can raise children in whatever way they see fit but to throw out these ideas to fit the wider community is a mistake,” he said.
“No child should be directed to be scared of certain words and children are too young to understand the extreme message.
“This trend is a push by a minority that should not impact the whole community particularly children. I have a manhole leading up to my attic, is that going to be a problem?”
A push for midwives to use more gender-inclusive words like “chestfeeding” rather than “breastfeeding”, “feeding parent” rather than “mother”, and “peri-natal” instead of “maternity” is gathering momentum, but the Australian College of Midwives is standing firm against the drive, determined they will not wipe out “women” from the health system.
Maternity consumer advocates state that removing words such as “mother”, “breastfeeding” and “woman” from experiences that are direct experiences of women is “completely misogynist”.
“This is something that is coming to the fore and we hear about it regularly but our stance is that changing the vernacular to remove the word “women” is going to take us backward rather than forward. Women make up over 50 per cent of the population,” Ruth King, adviser to the ACM said.
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Outback road sign with Alice Springs crossed off and replaced with its Indigenous name sparks furious debate
The image showed the names Alice Springs and Hermannsburg on Larapinta Drive, in the Northern Territory crossed out with white paint.
'Mparntwe' and 'Ntaria' - as those towns are known to the respective local Indigenous communities, Arrernte and Western Aranda - were painted onto the sign.
The road sign was also graffitied with the letters ACAB - a political acronym that means: 'All cops are b*****ds'.
The Common Ground Australia Facebook page captioned the photo: 'Across Australia there is a growing movement of reclaiming traditional place names in First Nations languages.'
'Using traditional place names in conversation, on signs and any other references is an amazing step towards recognising the sovereignty First Nations people still hold across Australia.
'When we recognise and embed language, we centre First Nations people, culture and Country.'
But not everybody agreed and the post generated fierce debate, with several unhappy at what they saw as vandalism.
One man wrote: 'I applaud the spirit of the action however I feel the crossing out of European names spoils the message.'
'At this time of what hopefully is a transition and a bringing about of new values perhaps the names should have stood together so as to educate rather than challenge.'
Many people suggested a compromise - using both the Indigenous and English or Colonial place names.
They pointed out that bilingual road and street signs are common in many countries - including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand.
New Zealand's tallest mountain, Mt Cook, was renamed Aoraki/Mount Cook in 1998.
Some place names in Australia have been renamed over time too, most notably Ayers Rock which in was re-labelled Uluru/Ayers Rock in 1993.
In Adelaide, 39 sites including many of the city's parks were dual-named by 2003 in acknowledgement of the local Kaurna people.
Bilingual signage is common too in some of Australia's biggest cities were large immigrant populations live who may not speak English at home, or to acknowledge non-English speaking tourists - such Chinatown in Sydney.
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Cheering prohibited: Parents frustrated by inconsistent COVID-19 rules in schools
Over the swimming carnival season, some students have been banned from cheering their teammates, while others have not. Some parents have been allowed to watch their kids swim, while others have not.
But it’s not just sport. Tim Spencer, the president of the P&C Federation, said parents were becoming frustrated with inconsistencies in the application of all kinds COVID-19 rules between schools, especially when there were so few cases in the community.
But the NSW Department of Education said schools and parents could expect updated guidelines “imminently”.
Mr Spencer said parents had been complaining about different interpretations from different schools. “We’re certainly hearing things that are inconsistent,” he said. “There’s still P&Cs not allowed to meet on school premises, and they still need to meet virtually. “That rule hasn’t been in place since term four last year.
“The real problem is how that’s communicated to parents at a school level. The department is being reasonable in most of its applications, but it’s when there’s arbitrary restrictions - when the school down the road is doing the opposite.”
What is and isn’t allowed:
Field trips, excursions and camps are permitted
P&C meetings can be held indoors after hours with a limit of 30 people (in Greater Sydney)
For indoor events, audience members cannot join in singing or chanting
All singing, chanting, rapping and group activities must take place in large well-ventilated settings
School performances, productions, plays and concerts can continue
Interschool activities are permitted
At St Andrews Cathedral School, the usual cheer squads were suspended this year. “We followed the COVID-safe requirements of NSW Health,” said principal John Collier.
“These indicate that singing and chanting are activities which should be prohibited, as they are likely to spread a plume which if such a plume contains the COVID virus, can provide aerosol which is highly infectious.”
At International Grammar School, the carnival was staggered, with years 11 and 12 going first, then heading back to school and being replaced by years 9 and 10.
“Students supported each other through rhythmic drumming, sprays of vivid colour and some outstanding feats of aquatic mastery,” the newsletter said.
Students at Waverley College were told on Friday they would not be able to cheer at the upcoming high school swimming carnival.
Paul Galpin, the treasurer of the Balmain Public School P&C, said the COVID-19 restrictions have been a “source of great frustration. We’re really keen to be involved with our son’s school life but find the guidelines frequently prevent that.”
He said the school could not host in-person P&C meetings because the rooms were all too small. A cross-year buddy program was almost cancelled because of the interpretation of the guidelines.
“I have zero problem with a conservative approach when it comes to keeping my child safe,” Mr Galpin said. “When rules seem arbitrary and poorly thought out though it becomes a bitter pill to swallow.”
Craig Petersen from the Secondary Principals Council said the guidelines themselves could be difficult for principals to keep across. “It’s frustrating, and confusing and I’m not surprised there’s inconsistencies, particularly across sectors,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Department of Education said it was updating the guidelines for NSW schools in line with health advice. “We expect these to be finalised imminently,” she said.
“The guidelines are provided to all schools to support consistent and safe implementation. Public schools should be following these guidelines in a uniform way. “School events taking place at venues outside school grounds, like swimming pools, must comply with the COVID restrictions of that venue.”
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A record dry in Australia
Suggesting global cooling. Warming would produce MORE rain, not less
Overlooking the old family farmhouse on Gerard Walsh's farm is a hill covered in hundreds of dead ironbarks.
"Two years ago, they would have all been alive and flourishing. Basically every tree has died," Mr Walsh said.
Across all of 2019, his property at Greymare in southern Queensland recorded just 144 millimetres of rain — the driest in 100 years.
"Certainly the rainfall has changed, all for the lesser," Mr Walsh said.
For more than a century, the Walsh family have been recording rainfall on their farm Coolesha for the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). "My mother Margaret Walsh, she would have done the weather for some 60 years, her parents before that," Mr Walsh said.
The long service was recently recognised with an award from the BOM.
The voluntary role has meant the Walsh family have been able to observe up close those effects of climate change on the Southern Downs region.
Rainfall at Coolesha has been below average for seven of the past 10 years, consistent with the BOM's most recent State of the Climate report.
"Income was more than halved during most of that period of time," Mr Walsh said.
Like many in the region, less rain has meant less feed for cattle and the Walshes have had to reduce cattle numbers.
Farmers in the Southern Downs are dealing with declining winter rainfall and the prospect of back-to-back droughts.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-28/queensland-family-100-years-of-bom-rain-records/13193442
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http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com (TONGUE TIED)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
https://heofen.blogspot.com/ (MY OTHER BLOGS)
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Evelyn Rae, a conservative Australian political commentator
Margo Robbie -- a beautiful australian
My son Joe at ANU
One of the happiest pictures ever -- Cleo Smith, aged 4
1 comment:
Regarding: Panic attacks as kids taught not to use words ‘boy’ or ‘girl’
When Queenslanders come to Victoria, many of them like to portray themselves as tough, no bullsh*t sort of people from the north. But it seems Queenslanders may be going all sissy, pc and woke, like Victorians.
G
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